An artist talk and guest screening by the International Cycling Film Festival. The Ruhr Area is a motorist region. The car is still the preferred means of transportation in, and between, its cities. The St. Epiphanias motorway church in Bochum, the venue for this iteration of Wandersalon, whose signage “Komm zur Ruhe” (come to rest) is visible from afar, reads both as a testimony as well as a commentary on this distinct motorist culture. But something is changing – the expansion of the Ruhr Area’s express bicycle path and numerous other initiatives have been proving for years that cycling is a viable future alternative.
In his work the Kenyan artist Sam Hopkins explores possible answers to current social, political and above all ecological issues. Hopkins is a committed cyclist himself, which among other things is the subject of his work. In his film Bike Gang shot together with John Kamicha using a smartphone, he displays the extent to which cycling in Nairobi is the lifestyle of a subcultural scene.
The International Cycling Film Festival, which, in addition to Herne, is taking place in the Netherlands and Poland, has been showing short films since 2006 that deal in different ways with bicycles. Following Sam Hopkins’ presentation, the International Cycling Film Festival, as guest, will be screening a special selection of films.
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The Wandersalon took place on May 21, 2019 at Autobahnkirche RUHR, St. Epiphanias, in Bochum.
